Pose library · Urdhva Mukha Svanasana · reviewed by a teacher
Upward-Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana)
Upward-Facing Dog is a backbend in which you lift your chest on straight arms while the thighs and knees hover off the floor, so only the hands and the tops of the feet touch the mat. Urdhva means upward, mukha face and svana dog. It is stronger than Cobra and usually comes inside a Vinyasa flow.
Upward-Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) is a backbend on straight arms with only the hands and tops of the feet on the mat. From the belly, press the feet down, straighten the arms and draw the chest forward and up for one to three breaths. If the hips sag or the lower back complains, do Cobra instead.
Pronunciation and meaning
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana: OORD-vuh MOO-kuh shvah-NAHS-uh-nuh. Svanasana starts with a soft shv sound.
Upward-Facing Dog is a backbend in which you lift your chest on straight arms while the thighs and knees hover off the floor, so only the hands and the tops of the feet touch the mat. Urdhva means upward, mukha face and svana dog. It is stronger than Cobra and usually comes inside a Vinyasa flow.
How to do Upward-Facing Dog
- Lie on your belly with the legs hip-width apart and the tops of the feet on the mat. Place your hands beside your lower ribs, fingers spread.
- Press the tops of the feet down firmly until the knees begin to lift.
- Breathe in and straighten the arms, drawing the chest forward and up through the gap between them.
- Lift the thighs and knees off the floor, so only the hands and the tops of the feet touch the mat.
- Roll the shoulders back and down, wrists under the shoulders, and keep the neck long with the gaze forward.
- Hold for one to three breaths, then lift the hips back to Downward-Facing Dog or lower to the mat.
Upward-Facing Dog step by step
Drawings and video by YogaPhilippines.com, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with credit and a link: see the image licence for how to credit.
For other poses that work the chest, open the pose finder set to the chest.
Teacher's note from Joahnna Lee
“Pull the chest forward before you push it up. It spreads the bend through the upper back instead of the lower.”
“Keep the legs working. Pressing the feet down is what holds the thighs up.”
“If the shoulders creep toward the ears, the arms are too far forward, or the pose is too much today. Come down to Cobra.”
Make it easier
- Do Cobra instead, with the hips and thighs on the floor and the elbows bent.
- Lower the knees to the floor and lift only the chest on straight arms, a halfway step.
- Place blocks under the hands to give the chest more room.
Pregnancy and after birth
Pregnancy. Avoid. Lying on the belly is not suitable in pregnancy, and a deep backbend stretches the front of the belly. Choose a gentle arch of the back on hands and knees instead, and check with your OB or midwife before you start.
After birth. Adapt. Wait for your doctor or midwife to clear you, and longer after a caesarean birth. Begin with Sphinx and low Cobra, and leave Upward-Facing Dog until there is no doming along the middle of the belly.
Prenatal and postpartum guides live on joahnnalee.com.
Common mistakes
- Letting the hips and thighs sag onto the floor while the arms are straight, which hangs the weight in the lower back.
- Shrugging the shoulders up to the ears.
- Throwing the head back to look at the ceiling.
Upward-Facing Dog is the strong backbend inside many Sun Salutations, and the one most often rushed. Done well, it is a short, bright lift that lasts a breath or two.
In Vinyasa taught step by step, it helps to begin with Cobra and lift the thighs only once the shoulders stay down.
Upward-Facing Dog or Cobra?
In Cobra, Bhujangasana, the hips and thighs stay on the floor and the elbows usually stay bent, so the bend is small and steady. In Upward-Facing Dog the arms straighten and the thighs lift, so the whole body hangs between the hands and the feet. If your shoulders hunch or your lower back pinches, Cobra is the better choice for now, and there is nothing lesser about it.
In a flow you usually arrive here from Chaturanga, the halfway lowering from Plank. Lifting the legs as well as the chest from the belly, without the hands, turns this family of shapes into Locust Pose, Salabhasana.
Upward-Facing Dog or Cobra Pose?
Upward-Facing Dog is often confused with Cobra. Here the arms are straight and the thighs leave the floor; when the shoulders hunch, Cobra is the better choice for the day.
| Compare | Upward-Facing Dog | Cobra Pose |
|---|---|---|
| Position | Lying on your front | Lying on your front |
| What it works | chest, spine and arms | spine, lower back and chest |
| Level | Intermediate | Beginner |
| Key difference | Arms straighten and the thighs lift, so only the hands and the tops of the feet touch the mat. | Hips and thighs stay on the floor, elbows stay bent, and the lift comes from the back muscles. |
Prep poses for Upward-Facing Dog
Poses that warm up the same body areas at a lower intensity, so Upward-Facing Dog feels steadier when you get there.
- Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana) a direct preparation, beginner
- Plank Pose (Phalakasana) a direct preparation, beginner plus
- Sphinx Pose (Salamba Bhujangasana) gentler work for the same area, beginner
Counter-poses for Upward-Facing Dog
Shapes that move the body the other way or let it rest straight after Upward-Facing Dog.
- Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) beginner plus
Props that help in Upward-Facing Dog
- Block: supports the forehead or the hands.
This page is one of the sources behind the timer for Sun Salutation rounds.
Sources: Mayo Clinic, Fitness program: 5 steps to get started; NCCIH (US National Institutes of Health), Yoga: Effectiveness and Safety; NHS, Exercise in pregnancy; CDC, Pregnant & Postpartum Activity: An Overview; Canadian Family Physician (Chan et al., 2014), via PubMed Central, Hot yoga and pregnancy: Fitness and hyperthermia. Last reviewed 2 October 2026.
Upward-Facing Dog questions
Is Upward-Facing Dog harder than Cobra?
Usually, yes. It needs strong arms and legs to keep the thighs lifted and enough room in the upper back to spread the bend. Cobra keeps the hips down and is the better choice while that strength builds.
Why does Upward-Facing Dog hurt my lower back?
Most often the legs have switched off and the hips have sunk, so the bend gathers in the lower back. Press the feet down, lift the thighs and draw the chest forward. If it still hurts, take Cobra and ask your doctor about it.
What is Upward-Facing Dog good for?
Upward-Facing Dog opens the chest and the front of the body while the arms, legs and back muscles work to hold you up. It is the backbend inside many Sun Salutations, a short lift between Chaturanga and Downward Dog. Many people find it a welcome stretch for the upper back after time hunched over a screen.
Why is it called Upward-Facing Dog?
The names come from the way a dog stretches. Urdhva mukha svana means upward-facing dog: the chest lifts and the face looks forward and up, like a dog stretching with its chest raised. Downward-Facing Dog, adho mukha svana, is the opposite shape, hips high and head down, like a dog stretching forward with its rear in the air.
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